SUMMARY: Due to the slumping economy, many individuals were laid off from their jobs. In the process they may have lost their dental insurance, leaving them unable to seek the treatments and advice that could help them avoid oral health problems like bad breath.

Posted: August 17, 2010

Due to the slumping economy, many individuals were laid off from their jobs. In the process they may have lost their dental insurance, leaving them unable to seek the treatments and advice that could help them avoid oral health problems like bad breath.

Even patients who previously had dental benefits under state-subsidized programs are losing their coverage due to funding cuts.

For example, Medicaid recipients in Michigan formerly had their visits to the dentist covered. However, a recent report from the Michigan Dental Association says that these benefits were cut in 2009 as the state's economy began to slide.

"This brutal economy has heightened a long-standing problem - that when it comes to oral health care, many folks in Michigan simply can't get the care they need," said Norm Palm, a Grand Rapids dentist who chaired the group that wrote the report. "It's just not acceptable when 25 percent of Michigan's third-grade children have untreated dental disease."

Allowing dental conditions to go untreated is one of the primary causes of bad breath. When oral tissue is broken down a foul odor is often produced. Individuals may benefit from visiting a dentist for advice on dealing with these problems.